19 MARCH 2018

Hernandez Suffers Hand During Sparring

IBF cruiserweight champion Yoan Pablo Hernandez (27-1, 13 KOs) has been forced to pull out of his title defence against Eric Fields (21-1, 15 KOs) at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, Germany on February 2 after fracturing his left hand during a sparring session.

The event, however, will still go ahead as planned with the headline being the European Light Heavyweight title bout between Eduard Gutknecht (24-1, 9 KOs) and Juergen Braehmer (38-2, 30 KOs).

Frederick Ness, Managing Director of Sauerland Event said: "We will stand by Pablo and will make sure that he receives the best medical attention out there. We are all hoping that he gets back as soon as possible."

Unfortunately for Hernandez, this is not the first time that his left hand has been a cause for concern. He suffered the same sort of fracture during his impressive performance against Steve Cunningham back in February 2012.

A replacement for the IBF Cruiserweight Championship has already been found. 28-year-old Robert Woge (10-0, 9 KOs) will fight instead of Hernandez with his opponent to be announced shortly. The light heavyweight is known for his entertaining style and has won all of his 10 professional bouts, with nine knockouts to his name.

In addition, the fans at the Max-Schmeling-Halle can also look forward to Dustin Dirks (26-0, 19 KOs), Enrico Kölling (3-0) as well as Tyron Zeuge (5-0, 4 KOs). Also boxing in Berlin will be Dominik Britsch (26-1-1, 9 KOs) who makes his super-middleweight debut.